


Advantage

by Skud



Category: Georgette Heyer, Hornblower
Genre: Crossover, F/M, Women Being Awesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-04-05
Updated: 2004-04-05
Packaged: 2017-10-02 06:46:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skud/pseuds/Skud
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for the <i>Pairings That Ate Fandom: Georgian/Regency Edition</i> ficathon. I've smushed them together chronologically; really there would have been about 20 years' difference in their ages. For Archie, this is set somewhere very early in his time on the Indy, probably during a gap during "The Duel". For Sophy, it's set sometime before her arrival in London and the events described in "The Grand Sophy".</p>
    </blockquote>





	Advantage

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the _Pairings That Ate Fandom: Georgian/Regency Edition_ ficathon. I've smushed them together chronologically; really there would have been about 20 years' difference in their ages. For Archie, this is set somewhere very early in his time on the Indy, probably during a gap during "The Duel". For Sophy, it's set sometime before her arrival in London and the events described in "The Grand Sophy".

Sophy Stanton-Lacy stood on the deck of His Majesty's Ship Indefatiguable and looked around her with keen interest. Despite being widely travelled, she had never before been aboard a ship of war, and was struck by its neatness, its apparent readiness for battle, and (not least) by its finely dressed crew. The marines in their red coats and pipeclay were much like those soldiers she had known all her life, but the bosun's mates who had piped them aboard and the midshipmen who had stood in white gloves and fine cocked hats to salute her father's arrival bore all the fascination conveyed by novelty.

"Sir Horace, Miss Stanton-Lacy, welcome aboard." The captain, Sir Edward Pellew, bowed and ushered them aft to his cabin. Sophy turned from the midshipmen and followed him, stepping confidently despite the slight movement of the deck, and ducking neatly as she entered the cabin to protect the fine ostrich plume she wore in her modish hat.

"What a fine ship this is, Sir Edward," she said with lively enthusiasm as she took a seat by the stern-windows and looked around at the swords on the wall, the fine barometer by the door, and the pair of cannon which stood in either corner. "I should love to go to sea in her."

"Ha!" said Sir Horace, "Hear that, Sir Edward? Did I not warn you she would be wanting to sign on for your next voyage the minute she set foot aboard?"

"Indeed you did, sir. But I regret to inform you, miss, that our midshipmens berth is quite full at the moment."

"What a pity," laughed Sophy. "Were the midshipmen the ones I saw as I came aboard, with the white patches on their collars?"

"Yes indeed. We have several young gentlemen aboard, and you will meet a couple at dinner, as I have invited them along with the officers."

At this the conversation turned to their mutual acquaintances and the progress of the war, with Sophy joining in both aspects with equal enthusiasm. A girlhood traipsing around the Peninsula with her diplomat father had given her a lively interest in military matters, and the two gentlemen were able to discuss battles and politics in her company without the slightest compunction. Indeed, when Sir Edward described a recent fleet action she attended closely and asked several pertinent questions about the line of battle.

"Why, Sir Horace, I begin to regret after all that I cannot offer a berth to Miss Sophy," said Sir Edward. "I'll wager she has more aptitude for a naval life than most of the boys they send me. But here, you may judge for yourself." For at this moment, a bell had struck above deck, and there was a knock at the cabin door.

In trooped the Indefatiguable's officers, headed by Lieutenant Bracegirdle, with two freshly-scrubbed midshipmen bringing up the rear. Sir Edward performed the necessary introductions, finishing with these two young men. "May I present Midshipmen Hornblower and Kennedy. Mr Hornblower, I was just telling Miss Stanton-Lacy that she might almost make a midshipman herself if she had a head for heights and a strong stomach."

Mr Hornblower stammered in confusion, obviously at a loss to find a suitable answer. Sophy, catching the twinkle in the captain's eye, saw it reflected in that of the other midshipman; Mr Kennedy, standing a little behind Mr Hornblower, was trying to repress a smirk. Her eyes glinted in response, but she turned to Mr Hornblower and replied, "I have never been seasick in my life, but I doubt I should be able to lay aloft, if that is the term, unless I were to forego my gowns, and I should regret that terribly. Britain will have to depend upon you to sail her ships instead, Mr Hornblower."

A touch of panic appeared in Mr Hornblower's dark eyes, and instead of answering he merely bowed. Kennedy, unable to contain himself, snorted and quickly covered his mouth, pretending to cough. Above his handkerchief, he flung a look at Sophy, but she could not interpret his meaning.

Sophy found herself seated near the head of the table between the Captain and Lieutenant Bracegirdle; the midshipmen were placed near the foot, with several other officers in between. Nevertheless, she had a view of Mr Kennedy, and on several occasions during the long meal she observed him discreetly. He was a cheerful young man, with the face of a cherub who had been caught doing something naughty; despite the propriety expected at the captain's table, he could not repress his smile and seemed often on the point of laughter. So unlike his serious friend, she thought. Light and dark, gay and earnest; what a fascinating pair they made. She wished she had been sitting near them, for she would have much preferred to converse with young men near her own age than with Mr Bracegirdle, who was asking her how she found Gibraltar society, and whether she did not long to return to England.

At long last dinner concluded with the loyal toast, and Sophy escaped Mr Bracegirdle's polite attentions. On deck again, she gazed up at the tangle of spars and rigging and the men climbing about like monkeys  
amidst the sails and ropes.

"Come along, Sophy," said Sir Horace, and she dragged her attention back to the bosun's chair which had been rigged to convey her to the waiting boat. Midshipman Kennedy stood by the railing with the bosun's mates, steadying the chair as she sat on it. She nodded good day to him as she was lowered down the side. "A pleasure to meet you, miss," he said. "Lower away!'

* * *

Archie Kennedy stepped from the bright Mediterranean sun into the dimness of the bookseller's shop and allowed his eyes a moment to adjust. When they had done so, the first thing he perceived was Miss Stanton-Lacy standing before him with a book in either hand. He smiled and bowed in greeting.

"Good day, Mr Kennedy," said Sophie with real pleasure. "How happy I am to see you!"

"And I you," replied Mr Kennedy with a winning smile. "I hope you are well?"

"Quite well, I thank you, but most vexingly confused, and you are just the person to help me. I have decided that I should become better acquainted with the sea, and thought to find a good book on the subject; but I find that Gibraltar is so thoroughly a naval town that I am quite spoiled for choice, and cannot tell what I should purchase."

"And here I thought you must be buying novels," said Archie with a laugh. "I must remember not to under-estimate you. What have you there?" Sophie passed him the two books she held in her hands. "Ah," said Archie, "You will not go far wrong with Harrington's Voyages, but you might find Steel's Seamanship and Rigging rather a bore, if you don't mind me saying so."

"Oh no, I looked inside already, and it is just the sort of thing I want, though I do wish it had more engravings."

"You are a quiz!" exclaimed Archie, his eyebrows shooting up. "I never knew a female who gave a fig for seamanship. Do you really?"

"Certainly, or I should not have said so. Tell me, is Steel's the best book?"

"Well, I learnt from Wilson's Seaman's Manual, and of course there is Falconer's Dictionary if you want a definition for every nautical term under the sun, in English and French as well. Any of them would do, but I think Falconer has the most engravings, if that is what you prefer."

"Let it be Falconer, then." Sophy put down the books she carried and sought in her reticule for some money, while the book-seller reached down a copy of Falconer's Dictionary and wrapped it in paper  
together with the Voyages.

Archie and Sophy chattered like old friends while they waited, and presently Archie held the door as they stepped outside into the sun. He looked about. "Miss Stanton-Lacy, have you no servant to attend you? I hope you will allow me to carry your parcel and see you home."

"Thank you, Mr Kennedy. I do so hate to drag my poor maid all around the town; she has no interest in dusty old bookshops. But sir," she said with sudden realisation, "I hope I have not prevented you from making your own purchases."

"No, no," laughed Archie. "I only went in to look about; we midshipmen never have two pennies to rub together, you know. At least, not this far into shore leave," he admitted ruefully.

"Well then, you must be in need of a good dinner." She looked him up and down. "A very good dinner. I hope you are not bespoke today?"

"Not at all," said Archie. "I was going to see if I could touch Horatio -- Mr Hornblower -- for a few shillings til our next pay, but if I couldn't find him it would have been back to the ship for boiled peas and ship's biscuit."

"In that case, you must allow me to invite you to dine at Sir Horace's."

"With pleasure! But won't he mind?"

"Not a bit of it! Come on." With this she and Archie turned and set out down the street.

* * *

Archie had been astonished to find that they were to dine alone at Sir Horace's lodgings. When he expressed his amazement, Sophy told him: "As for that, Sir Horace has gone to Cadiz for a week, leaving me quite alone, the heartless brute. I hardly know anyone at all!"

"Are you sure he would not mind you inviting strange naval officers to dine alone with you?" enquired Archie.

"Oh, he would never expect me to become a hermit just because he is off flirting with the Spanish ladies."

Once the dishes started arriving, Archie hardly gave a second thought to the impropriety of their situation; he was too busy tucking in to the best meal he had tasted in years, with all the rapacious appetite of a young man engaged in an active profession. But when the cloth was finally drawn and they sat drinking port (for Sophy considered this her natural prerogative in her own home), he could not resist raising the subject again.

"You are quite the queerest female I ever met," he declared.

"Have you met a great many queer ones?" asked Sophy.

"Not as many as I might wish, if they are all as much fun as you," he replied with a grin.

"No Hottentot princesses? Esquimaux matrons dressed in blubber? South sea island girls without a stitch of clothing on them?"

Archie hooted with laughter. "No! I've hardly been out of the Mediterranean since the war began, and even if I had, a dusky Tahitian maiden dressed in nothing but a few leaves would be perfectly ordinary there, while you are quite out of the ordinary here."

"I shan't deny it. But I do think it ridiculous the way people expect one to behave. I simply dread returning to England; I am sure they will lock me up in some dreadful country house and make me do embroidery and good works."

"Who would make you?"

"Oh, nobody, I suppose. Sir Horace has no intention of going back there as long as there is a war to keep him busy and plenty of ladies to amuse him, and I am quite happy to stay here on the continent with him and keep house and do whatever I please between times."

"Such as entertaining impecunious sailors?"

"Exactly!" With that she put down her glass and looked questioningly at him. "And are you entertained?"

"Exceedingly."

"I'm delighted to hear it." She toyed with the stem of her glass, and cocked her eyebrow mischievously. "Is this the sort of entertainment you usually enjoy in port?"

Archie blushed furiously, much to Sophy's delight; she had been unsure whether this self-assured young man would be as easy to discomfit as his friend Mr Hornblower. She was pleased to notice that his expression was far more one of flustered indigation than rising panic. "I'm sorry," she said, with such a tone of amusement that it was clear that contrition was the furthest thing from her mind. "That was quite unkind of me, for there was no possible answer you could decently give."

"You wretch," said Archie, spluttering. "You don't play fair at all!"

"No indeed! A woman has enough disadvantages in life; she must take any advantage she can find."

"Well, I am glad it amuses you to take advantage of me." He gave his tone a petulant edge, but a pink sliver of tongue betrayed him.

"I rather thought we might take advantage of each other, Mr Kennedy," she replied in a low voice. Archie blinked, the smirk replaced by dumb gaping before he shut his mouth firmly and waited.

Sophy smiled, rose from her seat, and walked around the table to him. Archie stood up, so rapidly he came near to capsizing his chair, and waited, turning upon her a look of both caution and challenge.

She met his eyes and smiled roguishly, then brought her hands up to rest on his shoulders. Tilting her head back until her lips hovered near his, she breathed "Well?"

"Well, indeed," he said, and tilted his head to one side. "Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss!"

"Is this a time for quotations, sir?" she enquired.

Archie laughed. "Teach not thy lip such scorn, for it was made for kissing, lady, not for such contempt."

Sophy rolled her eyes, then leant towards him and covered his mouth warmly with her own. Despite her teasing, he had half-anticipated an endearingly clumsy embrace, pressing lips and a girlish giggle, and begun to beguile himself with a vision of innocence instructed, of her amazed and grateful in his arms afterwards. He was disillusioned the moment she pressed his lips apart, and reconciled before his arms could bestow themselves about her waist.

At length Sophy broke their embrace, pulling back to look at Archie's face, which now bore rather a different flush. "I am glad I ran into you again this afternoon, Mr..."

"Archie," he said.

"Archie. And you must call me Sophy. Shall we?" With this she led him by the hand to the door, peeped out, and led him furtively towards her bedchamber. "My maid has a half day off," she explained, "but Hill is still somewhere about."

"We had better not..."

"Don't be silly. He would hardly come into my room." With this she shut the door behind them, and lit a branch of candles with a taper. Having done so, she turned to Archie and examined him in the candlelight. His hair glowed golden atop his brown face, and his eyes were startlingly blue. She smiled in satisfaction, and reached out to untie his neckcloth.

Archie had never known such fortune. He was far from inexperienced in matters of physical intimacy, but the women he had lain with in port on previous occasions were of a very different class than this extraordinary creature. Even were she not standing there carefully -- and quite competently -- undressing him, he would still have thought her the most unusual woman he had ever met. Such independent spirit, and  
such a fine mind. Not to mention her fine figure, which he could feel warm and pliant through the fabric of her gown.

He shrugged out of his coat and waistcoat, leaving them to lie crumpled on the floor, and reached out to draw her towards him. He kissed her again, more confidently now that he was certain of her intentions, murmuring against her lips as he felt her fingertips trailing through his hair and down his neck to his collarbone. She pushed his shirt aside, and followed her fingertips with her mouth, placing wet kisses where his skin was exposed.

"Salty," she murmured.

He chuckled, then lifted her chin and said, "You have the advantage of me again."

She smiled. "So I do." She turned around. "Will you help me with this?" He swept a chestnut curl away from the pale green crepe of her gown, and with nimble fingers unfastened the tiny row of buttons down the back of the bodice. Placing his lips against the back of her neck, he drew the gown down over her shoulders and let it fall in a puddle on the carpet.

They took turns undressing each other further, their urgency growing with each discarded garment, until at last they stood naked, pressed against each other, Archie's prick stiff against the soft skin of Sophy's belly.

Sophy pulled back, shrugging off his grip, which had begun to tighten in protest, until she was able to look him over carefully, lingering appreciatively on the carved muscles of his shoulders and chest, smiling at the flush which seemed to follow her pleased gaze downwards to his groin, where her gaze lingered until he brought his hand to her nape and pulled her back to him for another long kiss.

By mutual accord, neither leading the other, they made their way across the room, still close engaged, until they tumbled onto the bed.

Sophy found herself sprawled across the counterpane as Archie's hands roamed her breasts, her sides, her thighs. She lifted one knee and, raising her eyes to meet his, let it fall away, arching her back and  
showing herself flagrantly.

Archie was only too ready for her invitation. His hand trailed down between her thighs; her hips shifted at his touch, and he smiled to find his fingers instantly slick and wet. He shifted his hand, testing her, drawing back to circle and explore, until she reached out for his prick, circling it with her hand and stroking its head with her thumb.

"Now this is rather more like the entertainment a sailor enjoys ashore," said Archie, grinning breathlessly.

"You beast!" But the hand on his prick still stroked him, and the hand on his shoulder pulled him closer.

His grin widened. "If you insist."

With that he rolled on top of her, pinning her teasingly in place as he entered her; the reply hovering on her lips became a sharp exhalation, which he leaned down to catch with his own lips. As they began to move together, Sophy shifted her legs, bringing her knees up and apart to ease his way, and laced her fingers through his hair.

"Delicious," he breathed, and thrust within her more sharply. He felt her hands, light but sure, trailing over the muscles of his back, exploring their lines, at one moment flattening her palms against him to feel the motion of their lovemaking, at the next tracing her short, sharp nails down his spine, making him shiver and twist within her. She gasped and let her nails dig into the swell of his arse as her hips snapped up to meet his. He grasped her thighs, brought her legs to his waist and plunged deeply, burying his face against her shoulder and quickening his pace, moaning against her throat as his lips explored the  
soft skin where her shoulder began.

As she moved beneath him he heard her breathing grow ever more ragged, until she began to moan and her hand swept up to tighten in his hair. He schooled himself to keep his motions steady as her cries began to crescendo, and at last was rewarded by the silken feel of her shuddering around him, her thighs tightening on his sides, as she gave a great cry and relaxed against him.

At the touch of his forehead on hers, she opened her eyes to find him grinning down on her, and wrinkled her nose at him.

"Smug and complacent!" she accused him.

"Invariably." His voice was husky, and he continued to move almost imperceptibly within her as he spoke. "Though I rather think I deserve to be, having carried off the advantage so nicely."

She rewarded his sally with a pretty blush, which soon faded to be replaced by a grin to match his own.

"But can you keep it?" she murmured. She shifted against him experimentally, watching in fascination as his face became intent and his pace quickened. Pleased with the effect, she repeated the motion, curling her limbs about him and allowing herself to tighten within, and was rewarded by a hard kiss and a muffled groan as he took her fiercely, almost heedlessly, awakening a sharp echo of her earlier pleasure as he drove towards completion, finally throwing his head back with a shout and spilling himself within her.

He lay collapsed upon her, and she absently ran a gentle hand through his hair, enjoying the thick softness of it and the relaxed weight of him sprawled bonelessly atop her.

"Will you concede the advantage, now?" asked Sophy sweetly.

"Nnnnnnngh," replied Archie, then lifted himself up on his elbows, brushed his hair out of his eyes, and focussed on Sophy's face. "For now," he said, "but I'll have my reprisal presently."

* * *

Some hours later they lay in a dishevelled tangle of sheets. "Who shall we declare the winner?" asked Sophy.

"I think honour has been satisfied on both sides, don't you?"

"Oh, undoubtedly!" Sophy laughed and stretched.

"I suppose I must leave soon," said Archie half-heartedly, trailing his fingertips across her pale breast.

"Must you return to your ship?"

"No, but Horatio will wonder where I am if I don't come back to our lodgings. And your maid will be here in the morning."

"That is true; what a pity." She propped herself on one elbow and surveyed his prone, sweat-sheened form. "Will you tell your friend where you've been?"

"Horatio? Never! He would be horrified -- you never saw a more virtuous chap."

"With you as his friend? I am amazed, Archie, truly I am."


End file.
